University Professor, Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership, Director of the USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, and Dean Emeritus of the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California

Geoffrey Cowan’s classes have included instruction on journalistic ethics, the responsibilities of the press, consumer practices, and the presentation of truth in the media. Below is a sample of some of Professor Cowan’s previous classes.

In 2009, Geoffrey Cowan and Center on Communication Leadership & Policy Senior Fellow David Westphal co-taught two outstanding courses: “Leadership and the Future of Reporting in the Digital Age” and “Entrepreneurship in the New Media”. The first class, taught during the spring semester, examined current changes in the news business with fifteen graduate students and featured speakers like Seymour Hersh and Rob Dubbin.

ASCJ 100: The Changing World of Communication and Journalism (Fall 2016)

Professor Cowan co-taught ASCJ 100 with then-Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III. The class served as a broad introduction to the fields of journalism, communication, and public relations and used the concept of “third-space thinking” to teach students the fundamentals of each of the fields.

Communications 579: Entrepreneurship in the New Media (Spring 2016)

Communications 579 explored how the digital revolution and changes in technology, audiences, markets, and regulation are creating new entrepreneurial opportunities for businesses, governments, journalism, and social ventures. Student developed their own projects and gained exposure to the practice and theory of entrepreneurship and innovation in the digital era. Classes were held in a salon-style setting and featured frequent guests, debates on real-world issues, and dinner conversations.

Journalism 590:

In the summer of 2016, Professor Cowan helped to prepare six Annenberg students to visit the Republican and Democratic National Conventions as part of a class with USC. From the conventions, the students reported each day for USC Annenberg Media, one of the top student media outlets in the country.

Journalism 460: The Social Responsibility of the News Media (Spring 2017)

In the spring of 2017, in his JOUR460 class “The Social Responsibility of the News Media”, Geoffrey Cowan invited Axios, a start-up American news and information website into the classroom to speak with students. Over the course of the 14-week semester, the class was visited by phone by members of the Axios team who relayed how a media start-up approaches politics and business in today’s climate. You can read the Annenberg Media story about JOUR460 here.

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Upcoming Appearances by Geoffrey Cowan

On September 27th, LA Theatre Works will be putting on a benefit performance of Abby Mann’s riveting courtroom drama Judgement at Nuremberg. After the performance Geoffrey Cowan will partake in a panel “The Challenges of Pursuing True Justice Then and Now.”